Our structure

The Royal College of Nursing of the United Kingdom was established in 1916 and incorporated by Royal Charter in 1928. Since 1977 the RCN has also been registered as a trade union.

Governance structure

RCN Council is responsible for governing the RCN. It works with its committees and country and regional boards to:

set strategy and direction in line with our overall purpose

ensure accountability to our members by monitoring performance and ensuring effective compliance controls are in place

ensure that we adhere to our Royal Charter, Standing Orders, regulations and policies

ensure effective engagement with RCN members and other stakeholders

Changes to RCN’s Council are now in place following
recommendations made in the Council Review. To increase the involvement of
members in RCN decision-making two new Council committees - the Professional
Nursing and Trade Union committees - started their work on 1
January 2018.

The RCN's offices

The RCN has offices in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and nine England regions. These offices support the activities of local RCN branches, as well as learning representatives, stewards and safety representatives in their area.

RCN Foundation

The RCN Foundation is an independent charity that supports the needs of nurses, midwives and health care assistants as well as nursing students.

As a registered charity it helps nursing staff to develop their practice so that they can provide the best possible advice, support and care to patients. It achieves this by awarding project grants and bursaries.

Through hardship funding it helps members of the nursing team in times of need, providing the extra support they may need to get their lives back on track.